Addiction Starts Early

[chicagoans]

I must talk about vacation too much, because I think I've created a mini monster! My 8 yo has been to Maui, but no other tropic vacations (unless you count when I was pregnant - maybe that's what did it!)

Evidence of early childhood island addiction:
Whenever we drive past a nearby church called "St. John's" he'll say "Look mom, they spell it with the s, and that's wrong!"
He was the only kid at school wearing a tropical shirt for his school picture
His Valentine's Day box was decorated with 3D palm trees and surfboards
Yesterday he started on a school project to create a family tree: instead of a regular chart with the ancestors, he has decided to create a palm tree; every ancestor is a coconut in the tree, and he's a monkey! (Kind of appropriate for our family, actually...)

There might not actually be monkeys on St. John, but I won't tell him that. When we finally get there, there will be at least one!

[waterguy]

Glad you are bringing him up right.

[Kentuckygirl]

I love it!!

[canucknyc]

Too cute!

[AnyTing]

When he starts asking you for Rum in his Cheerios, you might have a problem....

[waterguy]

But if its cruzan cream rum that would be ok at least then he is getting his dairy group.

[flip-flop]

My almost 5 year old was 3 on her first trip to STJ and she still asks about our St. John House ... I think she really thinks that Ambiance belongs to us. She's going to be very confused when we go to our "new" St. John house later this year

[chicagoans]

Hey Flip Flop: if we work it right, maybe 25 years from now we can get our kids together and make sure they buy their own villa, that of course we have access to!

Scratch that... 25 years is too long to wait. I better stop thinking this way or the college fund will become the villa fund.

[augie]

There are scholarships that help pay for college, so I think it's prudent to invest in our families' vacation futures!

[Jerseyboy]

chicagoans, you're doing a good job raising your son! Very cute stuff. Now you just need to make sure he has good music tastes too (e.g. U2, Bruce, Bob Marley). I won't even touch the subject of which sports teams to follow though.

[obsessedmuch]

Very cute! Now when you all throw fits when you have to leave, it'll just look like a family thing.

[sea-nile]

Start them early! They will listen to you and want to copy you now.
I waited until teen and pre-teen years to take them and they can't get that excited. Maybe that will change after they get there.

[flip-flop]

We always say mini flip-flop's love of the water is proof that she's mine. She never had a choice in the matter...you guys are right, indoctrinate YOUNG and they have no choice in the matter.

I also tend to think the kids who have a really hard time change & travel are those who didn't get taken enough when they were little. Though mama loves alone trips too don't get me wrong we don't have to be attached at the hip! But we hit the ground running with them and they are both (so far knock wood) go w/ the flow kids. The boy is 11 weeks old and sleeping through the night, so we have decided to keep him

[Ron_L]

Nothing like a good obsession to get them started out in life!

I like the family tree idea. Very creative! Take a picture of the finished project for us!

[chicagoans]

Jerseyboy wrote: Now you just need to make sure he has good music tastes too (e.g. U2, Bruce, Bob Marley). I won't even touch the subject of which sports teams to follow though.

Big Jimmy Buffet fans here... daughter had no choice, being named after a Jimmy song (Delaney.) But they like rock, reggae, zydeco, etc.

As for sport teams... sigh... we're all Cubs fans. I just KNOW 2008 will be our year!! (An even hundred years should do the trick, don't you think?)